THE GRAPE VINE. 67 



can be chopped with the spade and thoroughly mixed 

 with the heap of garden-soil and stable-manure. To 

 this add the same proportions of lime-rubbish, charcoal, 

 and bones recommended in the case of the top spit 

 from old pasture. This will make a compost in which 

 vines will grow vigorously and bear well, and one 

 which will for many years be a good medium for 

 feeding the vines with waterings of manure-water and 

 top-dressings of manure. 



I have superintended the making of borders where 

 the soil chiefly consisted of weeds or rack gathered off 

 farm-fields and allowed to lie till it was half decom- 

 posed or fully more, and then added the other con- 

 stituents named to it, and a portion of soil burned, or 

 rather charred, in the usual way, and the result for 

 years has been most satisfactory. 



In forming these composts into vine-borders, the 

 too common practice of making the whole of a wide 

 border the first year is not a good one. The fact that 

 a great proportion of the border must lie unoccupied 

 with roots while the fibry and best part of it is un- 

 dergoing decomposition without being of any service 

 to the vines, is argument sufficiently strong against 

 making the border the whole width the first, and in 

 favour of extending the completion of it over several 

 years. Eight feet outside the house is quite suf- 

 ficient for the first year, and an addition of 5 feet 

 for two successive years will complete a border 18 

 feet wide. By this method an opportunity is afforded 

 of seeing that the extremities of the roots are not 

 running over-deep, and an upward direction can be 

 given to them ; and the vines are afforded the stim- 

 ulus of fresh soil to feed in for the first few years, 

 which is of much importance. If the surrounding 



